Valveless internal-combustion engine



Sept.2,4, 1929. L. J. BREGERE.

VALVELESS INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed March 22. 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet1 Lows Joseph Erge INVENTOR:

p 24, L. J. BREGERE 1,729,242

VALVELESS INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed March. 22; 1924 4Sheets-Sheet 2 Loul 5 Joseph BTESUE lNVE'NTOR;

M Attorney.

Sept. 24, 1929. J. BREGERE 1,729,242

VALVELESS INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE FiledMarch 22. 1924 4 Sheets-Sheeta I Law; Joseph Bre yz e Sept. 24, 1929. L. J, BREGERE. 1,729,242

VAL VELESS INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed March22, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet4 gh Brgere INVENTOR; By MA Atturne Patented Sept. 24, 1929 UNITEDSTATES LOUIS JOSEPH BREGERE, OF NEUIIaLY- SUR-SEINE, FRANCE VALVELESSINTERNALflOMBUSTION ENGINE Application filed March 22, 1924, Serial No.701,011, and in France March 30, 1923.

The present invention relates to a valveless internal combustion engine,of the type comprising an annular chamber provided with inlet, exhaustand ignition ports, and two sets of pistons one setwhereof is secured toa plate or disc keyed to the engine shaft and the other set is securedto a disc mounted close to the former and loose on the engine shaft.

The invention has for its object a mechanical device of simpleconstruction for connecting the said discs, this device securing theproper timing in the operation of the engine.

The device for connecting the two discs comprises a slot provided in theloose disc and cooperating with an eccentered part secured to a pinionloosely mounted on the other disc and engaging a stationary toothed ringsecured to the engine casing.

In the appended drawings and by way of example:

Fig. l is a section on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2 I

of the engine showing the two left hand pistons in the positioncorresponding to the dead time between exhaust and admission.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows in perspective view the two shells of the engine casingseparated from one another, and the associated parts.

Fig. 4 is a partial sectional View corresponding to the left handportion of Fig. 1, the two left hand pistons of Fig. 1 being in theposition of the end of. the admission stroke.

Fig. 5 is a partial sectional view of the left upper portion of Fig. 1,the two left hand pistons of Fig. 1 being now in an intermediateposition of the compression stroke.

Fig. 6 is a partial sectional view of the upper portion of Fig. 1, thesame pistons being now in the ignition position. i

Fig. 7 is a partial sectional view of an upper right-hand portion ofFig. 1, the same pistons being in an intermediate position of theexpansion stroke.

Fig. 8 is a partial sectional view of an upper right-hand portion ofFig. 1, the same pistons bein now in the position of the beginof t 1eexhaust stroke, and

1g. 9 is a partial sectional view of the right-hand portion of Fig. 1,the same pistons being in the position corresponding to the dead timebetween exhaust and admission.

As shown in the drawing, the stationary body or casing of the enginecomprises two symmetrical shells 21 and 22 of substantially circularoutline. Each shell is provided with an annular groove of semi-circularcrosssection 1, 1". The shells may be tightly assembled together, forexample by means of bolts, and, when thus united, they form an annularchamber 1 having the shape of a torus. The said chamber is not closed onits inner generatrix, but allows passage for two discs 2 and 3concentric with said annular chamber, one face of each disc being in juxtaposition with one face of the other disc and the other facesof saiddiscs contacting with easy friction with the faces 21 and 22 of theshells 21 and 22; the passage between the faces 21 and 22 is thus closedby said discs and the shape of the edges thereof is such that said edgesform an extension of the walls of the annular grooves 1 and 1", (Fig. 2)

To each of the discs 2 and 3 is secured a set of pistons 4, 4 4 45, 5,5*, 5 of toric shape as shown in Fig. 3. For this purpose, the discs areprovided with fiat extensions 23 which engage in mortises 24: in thepistons and are secured by screws 24. In this manner the pistons arecorrectly mounted in the annular chamber, although the discs are notsituated in the longitudinal middle plane of said chamber. The pistonsareprovided with packing rings 25.

The disc 2 carries for example four pistons 4,4 9, 1 and the disc 3carries also four pistons 5, 5, 5", 5, said pistonsv being equallyspaced along the periphery of each disc. The length of said pistons issuch that the pistons of one disc may be interposed between theadjacentpistons of the other disc, whereby the pistons of both discswill occupy alternate positions along the circumference, when the discs2 and 3 are mounted within the casin The 'disc 2 is keyed to the engineShaft i, for example by means of the key 26. The disc 3 is loose on theshaft 7 v and s provided with a radial slot 38, cooperating with aneccentered part 37 secured to or integral with PATENT OFFICE stationarybody 21-22 or cut in the said body.

' Grooves 1a are provided at the periphery of the shells 21 and 22, intowhich the explosive mixture may be admit-ted through con- \duits 31,-and grooves 18 are similarly provided for the exhaust through theconduits 32. At 33 are provided recesses for the spark plugs 16; theremaining parts of the chamber 1 have no grooves; these parts 15, 17 and19 respectively correspond to the compression stroke, to the exhauststroke and to the portion of stroke between the exhaust and the fol-jlowing admission.

It will be readily understood that if the disc 2 and the shaft 7 towhich it is keyed are actuated, the pinions 9 will be rotated about theaxis of disc 2, thus rolling upon the stationary rings 10. In thismovement, the pinions are rotated about their axle pin 34. Due to theengagement of the eccentric 37 with the edges of the slot- 38, the disc3 is rotated about the shaft 7. If the rotation of disc 2 is uniform,the rotation of the disc 3 will however not be uniform; the disc 3 willrotate alternately more rapidly and more slowly'than the disc 2,although the mean speed of rotation remains equal to the speed ofrotation ofdisc .2, and, due to the motion of the disc3 relatively tothe disc 2, the pistons of one of the discs will be alternately broughttowards and moved from the pistons of the other disc.

The ratio of the number of teeth of pinion 9 and ring 10 will determinethe number of revolutions of the pinion 9 about its pivot pin for eachrevolution of the disc 2, i. 'e. the number of accelerating strokes andretarding strokes of the disc 3 relative to the disc 2.

Starting from the position shown in Fig. 1 where pistons 4 and 5* areclose together in front of the solid portion 19, it is assumed thatpinion 9 rolls along annulus 10 in a clockwise direction. Cam 37 isrotated in a counterclockwise direction and pistons 4 and 5 recede fromeach other. By means of groove 14 an'exploslve mixture is admittedbetween said pistons; the disc 3 is on an accelerating stroke, until cam37 assumes the position shown in Fig. 4 where pistons i and 5 are spacedat a maximum from each other. This corresponds to the end of theadmission stroke. Cam 37 still rotating, the pistons are broughttogether (Fig. 5) thus compressing the fuel mixture in the solid portion15 of the chamber wall. The compression stroke is continued until cam 37assumes the position of Fig. 6, where the pistons are again closetogether; the mix- .ary body of the en 'ne.

ture is then ignited by the spark plug 16 and the force of the explosiontends to move the piston 1 secured to the disc 2 in one direction andthe piston 5 of the disc 3 in the other direction; but, since the twodiscs can only rotate in the same direction, the disc 2 will be rotatedtogether with the shaft 7 upon which said disc is keyed, while the disc3, through-the intermediary of the slot 38, the eccentered part 37 andthe pinions 9, is, so to speak, abutted against the station Thus, thepistons move'f-rom each ot er, as shown in Fig. 7 (expansion stroke)until cam 37 assumes the position shown in Fig. 8, where the pistons arespaced again at a maximum distance from one another. The exhaust strokethen beins, due to the provision of groove 18 and is continued until thepistons are again close together (Fig. 9).

The selected gear ratio of the ring 10 and pinion 9 is of course aninteger one, so that the pistons a and 5 will always have an identicalrelative position when passing at a given point of the chamber, saidratio may be such that the disc 3 will have more than one retardingstroke and more than one accelerating stroke with respect to the disc 2,as in the embodiment above described.

It, as illustrated, said ratio is equal to four, there will be twoaccelerating strokes and two retarding strokes, and hence two explosionswill take place per revolution of disc 2 and shaft 7, thus necessitatingtwo admission grooves 14, two exhaust grooves 18 and two spark plugs 16in diametrically opposite positions as illustrated.

It will be seen that the length of the pistons being so chosen that allthe spaces comprised between the pistons of the two discs are adapted toadmit gas and to have an explosion therein, there will be eight spaces,and since there are two explosions for each space and per revolution.sixteen explosions pier revolution of the shaft 7 will thus take ace.

The device for connecting the piston car rying discs, which has beenabove described is of a very simple construction. With re spect to theknown devices embodying rods and cranks, it has the important advantagesof securing a much better operation of the distribution and, moreover,of preventin Various constructional modifications may be brought to theengineillustrated without departing from the scope of the invention. Inparticular, the number of pistonscarried by each disc may vary, as wellas the ratio between the number of teeth on the pinions 9 and on therings 10. The variation of this ratio allows of obtaining, for

An internal combustion engine comprising "a body, a shaft rotatablysupported by said body, toothed rings secured to said body I andconcentric with said shaft, an annular chamber within said body, inletand exhaust ports in said chamber, two sets of pistons adapted to movewithin said chamber and respectively carried by two adjacent discsdisposed on either side of the longitudinal middle plane of saidchamber, one first disc being rigidly mounted on said shaft and theother disc being mounted loose on the same, the pistons of one setalternating with. the pistons of the other set, pinions rotatablymounted in said first disc and respectively adapted to engage saidtoothed rings, an eccentered part secured to one pinion and a slot insaid loose disc and cooperating with said eccentered part, whereby areciprocating motion is imparted to the loose disc with respect to theother.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

LOUIS JOSEPH BREGERE.

